


A Bad Day

by TroubleMayker



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 08:16:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4912075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TroubleMayker/pseuds/TroubleMayker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryoma is left lost and alone when zombies attack his home and force him to leave his parents to die. The tennis team may be the only ones left who can survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ryoma jogged down the deserted street, tennis racket clutched tightly to his chest as he looked around. Every sound put him on high alert, every small movement caught his attention. Sweat was beading on his forehead, and he reached up to wipe it off with his sleeve, only to get the feeling that he’d just rubbed something else onto his face. Staring at his sleeve, Ryoma remembered that his shirt was covered with blood. He swallowed thickly and quickly averted his eyes. He kept jogging, trying to distract himself with the steady rhythm of his feet hitting the concrete of the road. He didn’t want to think about what had just happened; wanted to wake up and realise that what had happened just a few hours ago had all been a bad dream. 

Ryoma had gotten home from school as usual, only to find his father, grinning stupidly, waiting by the door in some of his best clothes. Ryoma had raised an eyebrow and tried to go to his room to rest, only to be stopped by his well-dressed dad.

‘We’re going out to dinner, kiddo,’ the man had said. ‘Your mum is coming too, so get dressed.’

Ryoma normally would have told his dad to bug off, but his mother was coming, and she normally worked too late to have dinner with them. With a quiet nod he’d headed to his room and put on some nice clothes, secretly excited to spend some time with both his parents at once.

Once he was ready, his dad had driven the two of them to a restaurant where they met up with his mother, dressed in a deep blue, flowing dress and smiling happily at the sight of her boys. They had sat down and ordered nice food, and Ryoma had watched contentedly as his parents bickered over who had dressed better. They had stayed for a good few hours before anything went wrong.

The large clock sitting by the restaurant door had struck 7 o’clock when a man barged in, knocking over the menu stand and falling onto the floor. A waitress had gone to help him up, only to let out a scream when the man lunged for her throat. She ended up getting a chunk ripped out of her shoulder as two of the larger waiters grabbed the man to throw him out. The crazed man, thrashing around wildly, managed to bite both of the waiters before they managed to get him out.

Customers watched on in shock as the three servers headed into the back to treat their wounds, and a manager came out to apologise for the fuss. Ryoma, surprised by such a display of violence, had tried to go back to eating, listening to his parents concerned conversation with one ear. They had finished dinner that way, and were going to pay the bill when all hell broke loose.

The servers that had been bitten pushed their way through the employee door, followed by several chefs in bloodstained aprons and a security worker with a mangled arm. They fell upon the customers, grunting and snarling as they tried to bite anyone in sight. Ryoma had stared in shock, hands gripping the table tightly as customers screamed and ran.  
Nanjiro had grabbed Ryoma’s arm in one hand, and Rinko’s in his other and dragged them outside, where he quickly got to calling the police. He’d waited several moments before shutting his phone.

‘Line’s busy,’ he’d grunted, sounding surprised, before opening the car and ushering Ryoma in. When all three of them were safely buckled in, they began the drive home. Rinko put the radio on, and they listened quietly as panicked radio spokespeople raved about crazy people all over Japan attacking innocent civilians. Ryoma had shuddered and looked out of the window, hoping they would get home safely.

It wasn’t too long a drive, but it felt like an eternity before Nanjiro parked the car and they all made a mad dash to the house. They nearly made it before they ran into a group of five girls, looking no older than twenty, wandering down the road. Nanjiro had paused, for once serious, and narrowed his eyes.  
‘Rinko, Ryoma, stay close,’ he had muttered, edging around the girls, who seemed to be unaware of their presence. Ryoma waited impatiently as his father searched for the house key and opened the door to let them in, only to be startled by a loud chime that froze them in place. One of Karupin’s toys lay on the floor a few feet away, having been thrown that way by the door.

Turning back to the girls, Ryoma saw they had heard too, and were heading their way. Rinko shoved Ryoma into the house, telling him to go to his room as she ran to the kitchen. Ryoma had hesitated for a moment before running up the stairs and into his bedroom. He immediately went to his closet and grabbed his tennis racket before heading back to the stairs. Looking down, Ryoma could see his parents trying to hold to door closed as low moans permeated through the door. Those girls were trying to get through. 

Every once in a while an arm would pop through and reach around wildly, only to be met with an attack from Rinko, who was wielding a large kitchen knife. Ryoma had been about to rush downstairs, determined to help, when one arm, unseen by Rinko, had tripped Nanjiro, who fell hard onto his side. Ryoma had winced, taking the steps two at a time to get too them, but while Nanjiro was down the girls managed to shove the door open enough to get inside. Rinko had shrieked loudly, waving her knife around and shouting out threats while Nanjiro got to his feet.

‘Get out of my house!’ The man shouted, scarier than Ryoma had ever seen him. Nanjiro began to manhandle one of the girls, picking her up and trying to throw her out, only to receive a nasty bite to the hand from a second girl. He’d cursed and dropped the first girl, trying to get to Rinko, who was somehow fending off the three others.

‘We’ve got to go,’ he’d shouted, getting to his wife’s side. She had a large wound on her arm and several scratches on her face. Her face was pale and she nodded instantly, slashing the knife downward to get one of the girls away from her.

Ryoma was frozen in place, too scared to go to his parents, too scared to go away. He had been about to speak when one of the crazed girls turned to him. She had dull, sunken eyes and messy brown hair that had specks of blood in it. Ryoma had tripped backwards when she stepped towards him, and let out a gasp of surprise as she growled, dropping onto all fours to crawl towards him.

Nanjiro and Rinko had immediately rushed to their son’s aid, and tried to get her away, onto to have the others get them from behind. It seemed nothing they did deterred these crazy beasts, and Ryoma watched in horror as they bit his parents again and again.

The only reason Ryoma had made it out of that alive was that his dad, dark liquid gushing from his stomach, had distracted the creatures, screaming for Ryoma to ‘Run! Just leave us kid, we’re not gonna make it!’

Unable to do anything else, Ryoma had made a break for it. He’d run without looking back, breathing hard as he tried to stay calm. What had just happened!? What was wrong with those girls? Were his parents ok? Ryoma had aimlessly run, turning down different roads any time he saw another person.

It wasn’t until the sun began setting that Ryoma realised he needed to actually get somewhere where he could rest. The only place he knew to go was the school, and so he set off to the one place where he spent most of his days. It took less than an hour, but when he finally reached Seigaku, it was getting too dark to see. Ryoma had jumped over the school fence and headed straight for the deserted tennis courts. No one was there, and Ryoma shuddered as the cold wind cut through his clothes.

Looking around, Ryoma spotted the changing rooms. He tried the door, but it was locked. He didn’t want to sleep outside. Ryoma looked around for another way in. Some way up was a window; usually used to air out the room once it got to sweaty and smelly. Ryoma had reached up, and with the help of his tippy toes, managed to reach the latch. The window swung open, and he slipped his racket through before pulling himself up. It was a tight fit, but Ryoma managed to slip through. The floor didn’t soften the blow at all, and his legs were sore from running for so long, but it was warm in the changing rooms. 

Ryoma shuffled over to one of the benches and sat down, realising that his hands were shaking. He swallowed thickly and put his hands under his thighs to stop the shivers passing through his body. He wondered if he was safe in here. Was there a night guard in the school? What if he became crazy too? Ryoma hoped he was safe in the changing   
rooms. He really did.

Pulling off his bloodstained jumper, Ryoma balled it up into a makeshift pillow and laid down on it. The bench was kind of small, and not at all comfortable, and Ryoma felt a little sick from the scent of blood, but with the small comfort of his tennis racket beneath the bench, Ryoma managed to fall into a restless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Ryoma woke suddenly and painfully, rolling onto the hard, cold floor with a yelp of shock. He looked around, dazed and confused as he tried to get his bearings. He was in the changing rooms? Memories of the night before flooded through him, stealing his breath and leaving him to curl in on himself as he tried to get control of himself. What had woken him up? Ryoma strained his ears, and heard the door knob turning. He tried to straighten himself and stand up, protect himself, but his body just curled up further, and he shut his eyes tightly. They were going to kill him weren’t they? Those creatures had found their way in and were going to kill him like they killed Rinko and Nanjiro. He could feel his arms shake as he wrapped them around his knees and head, and he felt pathetic. Some prince of tennis he was. He could hear footsteps then, hesitant, coming closer to him. He wondered if death was painful.

‘Echizen?’ A deep voice called, sounding unsure and a little shocked, and Ryoma’s breath caught in his throat. He forced his arms to drop, and tried to turn around. Tezuka stood by the door, looking completely foreign to Ryoma in casual clothes. The tennis captain’s hair was mussed, but otherwise he looked fine.

‘Echizen, are you alright?’ The third year asked cautiously, stepping closer to Ryoma. Ryoma realised he hadn’t said anything, but had just stared. Shaking his head, he pushed himself to his feet, wincing at the head rush. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, then turned to look at Tezuka once more.

‘Buchou,’ he managed, a little shocked that someone else was alive and not, well, trying to kill him. Whatever was happening to people out there, it was bad. Ryoma shuddered as he remembered the girls that had attacked his house the night before, forcing him to abandon his parents. Tezuka frowned, seeming concerned, but Ryoma had never been able to read his captain’s face. Tezuka could be mad for all he knew.

‘What are you doing here?’ Tezuka asked after another minute of awkward silence. He seemed to be studying Ryoma’s appearance. Ryoma realised he must look like a mess. Even without his bloody jumper on, his hair was in disarray and his trousers had flecks of blood on them. He wished he had his cap, if only so he could hide his face from those intense eyes. Tezuka tilted his head and stepped closer, and Ryoma backed away.

‘Don’t come closer,’ he snapped, shoulders hunching at the look of bewilderment on Tezuka’s face. ‘Were you bitten?’ He asked, voice softer now. He hadn’t meant to sound so aggressive, and almost expected his captain to tell him to go run some laps. Instead, understanding dawned on the third year’s face, and he shook his head.

‘I wasn’t bitten, Echizen. I came here because I thought any students or teachers who are still alive would come,’ Tezuka explained, sounding just as calm and composed as on a normal school day. Ryoma let himself relax a bit. He had always trusted Tezuka, and it was rather calming having someone around who seemed to know what they were doing.  
‘What about your parents?’ Ryoma asked, somewhat hesitantly, because if his own parents were… alive, then Ryoma would have been with them.

‘They are away on holiday, so I am unsure of their condition at the moment,’ Tezuka said, slowly, as if it was a delicate subject. Ryoma nodded in acceptance, then looked out of the window. The sky was pale blue, and the sun wasn’t fully out yet.

‘It’s still early, only five,’ Tezuka said, watching Ryoma carefully. Then the captain walked over to the bench and pulled out a key from the bag which Ryoma just realised had been slung over his shoulders the whole time. Tezuka opened a large closet-like locker using it and rifled through it for a while before coming out with a plain black shirt.

‘There aren’t any trousers, but we keep a few spare shirts in here in case someone forgets to bring theirs,’ he announced as he handed the clothing to Ryoma, whose own shirt had some blood from the night before on it that had soaked through his jumped. Ryoma thanked him and quickly changed, glad to be in something that didn’t smell like blood.

xxx

‘Che, what do we do now? Everything is probably going crazy outside,’ Ryoma muttered, feeling a lot better now that he and Tezuka had sat down, and the normally stoic buchou had produced two nutritious snack bars out of his bag with what Ryoma was almost sure was a teeny tiny smile. Ryoma hadn’t even realised he was hungry until Tezuka gave him the food.

‘We mustn’t let our guard down,’ Tezuka replied, which made Ryoma laugh, a small huffing noise that he tried to cover with a cough. Tezuka frowned at him, and he looked away, smiling. The sun was a lot higher in the sky now, and, according to Tezuka, people would start coming in soon. Ryoma wondered how many people had made it through the night, and if the other regulars were ok. Thinking about the others kept his mind off his parents, but every once in a while all he could think about was his father, shouting at him to run as his blood spilled onto the floor.

Ryoma bit the inside of his cheek and blinked a few times, keeping his mind in the present. He could deal with what had happened the night before later. Tezuka had moved to stand by the changing room door, which he had opened to give a good view of the closer school gate. The streets surrounding the school were empty, but there was some smoke billowing in the distance. Ryoma wandered over and watched with him.

It was almost peaceful without anyone around. The birds were singing as normal, and there were no other sounds of cars or people to disturb the comfortable silence. The two of them stood there for what seemed like hours before people came. A group of young students led by a teacher who Ryoma vaguely recognised as his maths teacher were all coming from the same direction. The teacher was fairly old, with the beginnings of white hairs visible on her head, but she was strict enough that no one messed with her. Ryoma was also shocked to see Horio was one of the children following her.

He turned to Tezuka, and the captain looked pleased, already heading out towards the group. Ryoma followed behind the captain, unwilling to be left alone. As soon as the teacher saw Tezuka and Ryoma, she sped up, and reached the gates just as Tezuka got them open.

‘Junko-sensei,’ Tezuka greeted as the group walked onto the school grounds, and she nodded briefly in his direction before ploughing onwards.

‘We’ve got injured children who need to be treated. You’re captain of the tennis team, right? Look after the others while I take these two to first aid,’ Junko-sensei said, leading two young boys away. Ryoma’s eyes widened, and he turned to Tezuka, who looked like he wanted to say something, but was holding back so as not to cause panic. The teacher soon reached the school building and disappeared within the tall walls.

Tezuka and Ryoma stared at all the kids who remained. There were four second years, and three first years including Horio. The loud mouth seemed to notice Ryoma then, and his face brightened considerably.

‘Echizen-kun! You’re alive, thank god! Have you seen Kachiro and Katsuo? I went to the arcade with them last night, but haven’t seen then since,’ Horio rambled as Tezuka quietly led everyone to the tennis courts. ‘I mean, things are going crazy! Some lady tried to eat my cousin, but he has two years of biking experience and managed to get away. Isn’t it weird? What do you think is going on!?’

Ryoma tried to ignore Horio’s exaggerated attempt at conversation and instead kept an eye on the door that Junko-sensei had entered the school through with the two boys. If they really had been bitten, then would they end up like the servers and chefs at the restaurant, or the girls from the night before? Ryoma hoped not, but from what he had seen the day before, those two boys would probably become monsters. Then the school wasn’t safe anymore. But where would they go? Did Tezuka have any idea? Ryoma turned and looked at his captain, but the stoic buchou was simply leaning against the fence with a serious expression on his face.

As they waited for something to happen, another person arrived at the school. It was Inui, decked out fully in leather and carrying both a tennis racket and a baseball bat. The data player entered the school and headed to the tennis courts.

‘Good morning Tezuka, Echizen. Yes, there was a 66.4% chance that you two had survived,’ he disclosed in greeting. Ryoma just stared at his choice of clothing.

‘Um, senpai, is there a reason you’re wearing… that?’ Ryoma ventured after a moment, hearing hushed whispers from the second years who were sat a few feet away. Inui hummed, pulling out his notebook.

‘There is an 87% chance that bites from infected people transfers the virus to the bitten person. Leather makes it much more difficult for teeth to penetrate the skin, hence protecting me from any attacks I may receive,’ Inui explained, writing down a few notes in his small book before putting it away. He then turned and examined everyone who had made it to the school, expression hidden behind square glasses. Ryoma wondered how Inui had gotten all that over just one night. Ryoma had been too preoccupied trying to stay alive that all he had gotten was that just about everyone had gone crazy and were trying to kill him.

‘Eh, Inui-senpai, does that mean Mori-kun and Sakaki-kun are going to get infected?’ Horio piped up, having listened in. Inui tilted his head, and Tezuka quickly explained the situation of the teacher having taken the two boys inside. Inui was quiet for a moment, and took out his notebook.

’94.3% chance that the school is now dangerous. We may have to leave,’ he quipped after a moment of thought. Tezuka sighed as the students began to talk loudly to each other, words tinged with panic.

‘Don’t panic. Nothing bad is going to happen,’ Tezuka ordered, but it was too late. A second year girl was already headed for the exit.

‘I’m not staying,’ she moaned, tears beginning to stream down her face. ‘I can’t stand seeing any more of those things! I’m leaving!’

She ran off, following the rest of the second years and one of the first years. The only ones who remained were Horio and another first year girl named Reiko. Ryoma watched Tezuka give Inui a hard look, but the data player merely shrugged.

‘They’re right Tezuka. We will have to leave,’ he told the stoic captain.

‘We have to wait for the other regulars. We’ll leave if no one else has come by noon,’ Tezuka decided, looking down at Ryoma imploringly. Ryoma just sat down. He wasn’t going anywhere without Tezuka at this point, so he was fine with whatever the captain chose.

They passed the morning that way, with Horio speaking loudly to Reiko and Ryoma until Ryoma told him to shut up. His head was hurting and he felt sick. He walked away from the two first years and sat on one of the benches beside Tezuka, who was speaking quietly to Inui about where they were headed next. Tezuka’s deep voice was soothing, and Ryoma closed his eyes and listened to the captain, willing his headache to go away.

‘Echizen, are you alright?’ Ryoma’s head snapped up at the mention of his name, and he realised he had pulled his knees up to rest his head on them. He turned to Tezuka, who had spoken, and nodded. 

‘Yeah, I just feel a bit tired. Where are we going after this?’ He asked, trying to turn the conversation elsewhere. Tezuka still looked concerned, but let it go.

‘Inui thinks many community places will be overrun, as they will have been packed with people, so it may be good to go somewhere quieter, like Kawamura Sushi. If Kawamura and his family are alright, we believe they may be able to help up,’ he explained, before frowning. ‘Echizen, you look pale. Are you sure you’re alright?’

Ryoma pulled away when Tezuka tried to touch his forehead. 

‘I’m fine! Just keep talking with Inui,’ he muttered, resting his head on his knees once more. There was silence for a while, then the conversation started up again. Ryoma half listened as the two third years talked about how they would get to Kawamura Sushi, and almost dozed off as he waited for noon.


	3. Chapter 3

A warm hand shaking his shoulder brought Ryoma out of his light doze. He scrunched his face up for a moment before sitting up straight and opening his eyes. The sun was high in the sky now, warming him up and making him wonder if anyone else had arrived. He looked at Tezuka, who had woken him up, and the captain shook his head.

‘No one else has come. We’re heading off soon,’ Tezuka told him, and Ryoma sighed. He had expected at least one more person to come to the school. Had everyone been killed? Were they all hidden somewhere else? Ryoma hoped the other regulars were alright. He glanced at the school building, empty and quiet.

‘Did Junko-sensei or those students…’ Ryoma trailed off, unsure how to finish his sentence.

‘No one had exited the building. 89% chance that both the students and the teacher have turned and are wandering the building,’ Inui piped up from where he stood leaning against the fence. He had taken his leather jacket off and was wearing a light blue, short sleeve shirt underneath. Ryoma nodded, biting his lip as he stared at the floor. Things had become so messed up over just one night. How was that even possible? He almost expected to wake up in English class to his teacher berating him.

Instead he was stuck wondering if he would be alive the following day. If the people with him would survive. It was terrifying, and Ryoma wished he could go back to where his only problem was how to beat the next opponent.

Slowly, the five of them prepared to leave. Horio seemed more subdued, as if he’d worn himself out talking to Reiko, so it was very quiet. Before they left, Ryoma rushed back to the changing rooms one last time to grab his tennis racket, and then they were gone. No one spoke a word as they walked down the deserted road, as if any noise would summon those monsters.

Tezuka lead the way, calm and composed even as the word around them crumbled. Ryoma kept close, one hand gripping his tennis racket, the other stuffed into his trouser pocket as his eyes wondered his surroundings. Even after ten minutes they hadn’t run into anything, but Inui kept muttering about percentages and chances under his breath. Horio had caused a large commotion a while ago after he thought he saw a person, but it turned out to just be a statue and he had earned himself a hit from Reiko.

Ryoma just kept walking, mostly watching the streets, but concentrating on Tezuka’s back whenever his mind wondered to the night before. The afternoon passed that way, and they got closer and closer to Kawamura Sushi. Ryoma almost let himself let his guard down, but then they rounded a corner and the road was filled with people. One glance was enough for Ryoma to tell that they weren’t normal. There were perhaps twenty creatures of varying ages shuffling around grumbling and snarling at each other. Reiko let out a scream at the sight.

Tezuka immediately pushed them all backwards around the corner, but it was too late. Ryoma listened in horror as the shuffling sounds paused before starting in their direction, faster and determined.

‘Eh! What are we going to do!?’ Horio asked, face paling and eyes going wide. Tezuka frowned at the first year to hush him before turning to Inui. The data player was pulling his jacket on and was gripping his baseball bat with both hands.

‘Tezuka, sorry, but there doesn’t seem to be a way out of this. I saw no side roads on the way here, and this is the only way to Kawamura’s place. We either go back and face a 9.3% chance of finding another guaranteed safe place, or we push through these people, in which case we have a  43.2% chance of all surviving,’ he said hurriedly, voice clipped as if he was trying to remain in control of himself. Ryoma swallowed thickly. They would have to fight then. Tezuka seemed to realise that too and sighed quietly. Neither option was good, but they had to do something. The large group had almost reached the corner before Tezuka nodded, face set.

Inui passed the captain his racket and turned to the first years. Ryoma had his own racket, but Horio and Reiko had nothing. There was no time to find something for them though, so Inui told them to stay right behind him and Tezuka. Ryoma was also forced behind the third years as the group of creatures finally rounded the corner. They were loping at a steady pace, eyes sunken and dull and many were covered in blood. Inui moved first, rushing forward and batting one of the creatures to the side with his bat. It fell, but was immediately replaced by a second creature with a gaping mouth.

Tezuka shoved it backwards with the front of his racket, cursing when it bounced back off of the ones behind it and kept shuffling forwards. Reiko let out a loud screech as a large man with a missing arm managed to get past the two in the front, and Ryoma smashed his racket into the man’s face. The creature fell to the side for a moment, stunned, as Ryoma shouted for Tezuka, voice tight with alarm.

The captain immediately turned and went for the man, trying to push him back into the group without getting overrun by the others. Inui was doing his best to clear a path, swinging his bat methodically to push creatures over. Horio grabbed Reiko’s arm and tugged her forwards to follow the third years once a way was cleared, and Ryoma followed immediately behind them, breathing harshly in terror.

Despite the large fight for survival going on, it was terrifyingly quiet. The group of crazed people let out little more than moans and grunts, whilst the students were quiet, trying not to draw attention to themselves; as if it would somehow help them get away. Inui called out as he finally cleared the way to the other side of the group of creatures, and Ryoma followed suit, shoving an old lady away with his racket as he stumbled forwards. Tezuka was held back, trying to get Horio and Reiko to safety, but it all seemed to go wrong when the large man with the missing arm grasped the air and latched on to Reiko’s long hair.

The first year screamed, hands coming up to shove at the creature as it descended upon her. Ryoma could only watch on in shock as Tezuka tried in vain to get to her as a large bite of her neck was ripped out. Blood splashed onto the creature’s face and spilled onto the floor as Reiko’s scream simmered into a whisper before she fell silent. The other creatures seemed to sense her death, and began reaching for her body. Tezuka grabbed Horio’s arm and pulled him away, shouting for Inui and Ryoma to run already.

Ryoma could barely hear the captain, ears filled with the sound of his own heartbeat; a loud staccato drumbeat. His legs felt weak, and he tried to tell Tezuka that, but his mouth didn’t seem to work. Instead he found himself staring at Reiko’s dead body being ripped apart by the creatures, and wondering if that was what happened to his parents.

As he began to get lightheaded, he felt a large hand wrap around him, steering him away from the sight and forcing him to move, run, away from the creatures. He didn’t really know what was happening, but then he was inside a building, and he could hear a deep voice calling his name, asking him if he was alright.

‘88% chance… shock… room we can use, Taka-san?’ Ryoma heard faintly, and then he was lying down and the same hand that had pulled him away from the creatures was running through his hair, slowly calming him down. His eyes fell shut and he let the relaxing sensation slow his breathing and soothe his nerves. When the hand pulled away, he reached for it again uncertainly.

‘Don’t leave, buchou…’ He heard himself murmur as he slowly drifted off, sighing in relief when the hand went back to combing through his hair.


	4. Chapter 4

When Ryoma next woke it was dark, and he felt cosy and warm wrapped in a soft blanket. He sat up slowly and looked around, realising he was in an unfamiliar room. It was neat, with a desk by the door and a few tennis posters scattered around the large chifforobe in the corner. It slowly dawned on him that he must be in Taka-san’s room, and he carefully got out of the bed and neatened the sheets out. He then realised that it wasn’t that dark, but the curtains were closed. A peek out the window showed that although the sun was beginning to set, it was still day time.

Ryoma had a good view of the surrounding area, as the room was on the second floor above the shop and he could see that barely any people were out, and those who were had stooped postures and were shuffling about randomly. It was disconcerting to watch, so Ryoma let the curtain fall back into place. Licking his lips uneasily, he headed out of Taka-san’s room and made his was downstairs. He could hear hushed conversation and recognised the voices of Taka-san and Fuji among them. Startled, he sped up a bit before pausing just around the corner of the restaurant space where everyone seemed to be gathered.

‘…and it was almost midnight at the time, so I decided Taka-san’s was the only place I could go,’ Fuji was saying, voice smooth as he recounted his tale of the previous day. Horio was making awed noises in the background whilst Taka hummed in interest. Peeking around the corner showed everyone was gathered around the table Seigaku normally sat at when they came to Kawamura Sushi. Even Taka’s dad was there, face grim as he listened to the children chatter away. Ryoma’s eyes met Tezuka’s, and the stoic captain looked surprised for a moment.

‘Echizen,’ his voice stopped the conversation and everyone turned in Ryoma’s direction. He stiffened at the sudden attention before squaring his shoulders and walking to the table. He sat beside Taka-san – opposite Fuji – and stared at the food set out on the table top. There were several bowls filled with rice and some raw slices of salmon.

‘Nice to see you up Echizen,’ Fuji spoke after a tense minute of silence. Ryoma nodded, not bothering to look up. He really wished he had his cap now.

‘So you were saying, Fuji-senpai?! How did you get away from those monsters?’ Horio questioned when it became clear Ryoma wasn’t going to speak. Fuji chuckled, turning his attention back to his story.

‘I happened to be near the petrol station, so I fashioned up a little Molotov cocktail and burned a path for myself. Saa, I’m afraid I may have caused a nearby house to burn down though,’ Fuji explained happily enough, a sly smile making its way onto his face when Horio let out a shout of shock. Inui pulled out his notebook and began scribbling in it.

‘Tell me, Fuji, how did the fire affect them?’ He questioned, glasses glinting in the low light.

‘Hmm, well I don’t think they liked it,’ he laughed before continuing. ‘The fire really messed them up though, as I’m sure it messes every living thing up. They were running around and completely forgot about me.’

Ryoma listened intently, somehow not shocked at the ease of which Fuji seemed to be able to get through such situations. He knew the prodigy had family, a sister at least, and wondered if they were alive. Even someone like Fuji would be visibly grieving if he lost his family, right? So either his family was alive somewhere, or Fuji didn’t know where they were. Taka-san was shaking his head, exasperated.

‘You really outdid yourself this time! How do you even know how to make a Molotov cocktail, Fuji?’ He asked, both impressed and disgruntled. Fuji’s smile grew and he simply shrugged rather than answering the question. Ryoma found himself smiling slightly at power player’s attempts to get the truth out of Fuji who was notorious for being mysterious. The conversation quickly moved onto how they could defeat the monsters which were once human. Inui seemed certain that until a cure was found, killing them was acceptable. Taka-san and his father, as well as Horio, seemed reluctant to agree, thinking that murder was wrong, especially if they could be saved.

‘If someone – or something – is trying to kill you, killing _it_ out of self-defence is only natural,’ Inui told them, nodding to himself. Taka-san smiled good naturedly and accepted Inui’s words, but said he’d do his best not to kill anyone.

‘Inui-senpai could always whip up some Inui juice to scare them away. I’m sure not even half-dead human monsters could stand a sip of it,’ Ryoma spoke for the first time, earning a loud laugh from Horio and soft chuckles from the other third years. Even Tezuka managed a small smile, though it quickly disappeared.

‘Does your TV or radio still work, Kawamura-san?’ He asked Taka-san’s father, glancing at the old set they had near the work bench for customers to watch at times. Kawamura-san walked over to the small television and turned it on, but all that came onto the screen was static.

‘It stopped working late last night, just before Fuji-san came,’ the man explained, shaking his head sadly. ‘The police and news stations were all pretty freaked. Apparently it has been happening all over the world. Some scientists said that people who are bitten will die before coming back trying to bite others. Like some sort of crazy rabies.’

Inui hummed in interest, pulling out his notebook. His glasses glinted as he flipped through the pages, stopping every few seconds to read. Ryoma watched curiously, wondering what the data player was thinking.

‘That makes sense, I suppose. Although they were covered in blood, did any of you actually see those things bleed?’ Inui asked, glancing at the people before him. After some confused looks, everyone shook their heads negative. Inui smirked, scribbling some more in his book.

‘If they really are dead, like those scientists said, then their hearts wouldn’t be able to pump blood around their bodies. These biters wouldn’t be able to bleed, though I’m unsure how they actually move or do anything at all without being alive,’ the bespectacled third year seemed both excited and confused. Ryoma frowned, wishing that none of this had happened.

‘If they’re dead, then do you suppose there’s any way to bring them back? Like, to who they used to be?’ Fuji asked, smile less sinister and more sad, and Inui sighed.

‘Unlikely. Even in a hospital environment, it is dangerous to have the heart stopped for any amount of time. If blood doesn’t flow to the brain, well…’ He shrugged, placing his notebook away. Tezuka walked over to one of the windows, pulling the curtain back to look outside. It was steadily growing darker, and Ryoma wondered if he’d be able to sleep at night, seeing as he’d napped several times already.

Horio also looked slightly anxious, unibrow furrowed as he stared at his empty bowl. With the conversation slower now, he didn’t have much reason to laugh or talk anymore and had become sombre. Ryoma wondered if he was thinking about Reiko.

Kawamura-san seemed to sense the sudden unease of the youngest members in the room and left into the restaurant kitchen for a moment before reappearing with several packets of dorayaki. Horio perked up immediately, eyes bright at the sight of the dessert.

‘Eh! Are you sure Kawamura-san?’ He asked, grabbing a packet and quickly opening it up. The older man simply laughed, handing everyone various flavours of ice cream dorayaki.

‘I have a feeling the refrigerators will stop working soon, so we may as well eat these while we can,’ he said, wrapping an arm around his son’s shoulders. Everyone dug in, enjoying the sweet taste of the dorayaki while they still could. Everyone seemed to have something on their mind as they quietly ate their dessert.

‘Dad… How long will the food in here last do you think..?’ Taka-san spoke up quietly after everyone had finished. Ryoma’s head snapped up, eyebrows furrowing once he realised the implications of the sentence. Once food ran out, they would have to look for more food. Outside. Where those creatures were. This was a restaurant though, there would have to be plenty of food. Enough for a month at least, right?

‘Hmm, if it’s just going to be us – five, six, seven, then we may have a few weeks. We’ll have to eat the perishables first, then the long lasting stuff. I don’t think water will be a problem, but, hmm,’ Kawamura-san rubbed his chin in thought, then sighed. ‘Well, we’ll just have to make do with what we’ve got.’

Taka-san nodded sadly, and Ryoma fiddled with his chopsticks, suddenly aware that there wouldn’t be much going outside anymore. Despite being a lazy person at times, Ryoma still loved going out and playing tennis. Tennis… There would probably be no space for that now. He wondered what he would do with his racket. It was probably covered in blood, but he wasn’t quite sure where it was. He remembered having a grip on it when Reiko – oh god her blood – died, but he’d lost track of everything after that. He would ask Tezuka about it later, maybe the next day.

It was definitely dark now; dining area lit only by the lights in the kitchen. Inui apparently thought it was a bad idea to let everyone know that the restaurant was still in operation, as it might attract biters. Horio was yawning every few minutes, and even Fuji seemed like he was struggling to keep his eyes open. Tezuka stood and cleared his throat.

‘I think it would be a good idea to sleep now. We can discuss further plans in the morning. Taka-san, Kawamura-san, thank you for letting us stay here,’ buchou mode on, Tezuka ushered everyone up and let Taka-san lead them to where they would sleep.

‘This spare room can hold four of you, and I can set up the last futon in my room,’ he said, opening the door to a little room that appeared to be a storage area. Taka-san rubbed the back of his had bashfully. ‘It’s a little messy, but the futons are clean so don’t worry!’

Tezuka stepped into the room and was pointed to a cupboard which held several futons. He pulled out one for everyone, then Fuji stepped out of the room.

‘I can sleep in Taka-san’s room,’ he announced, smiling lightly as he got a good grip on his futon. Taka-san looked surprised for a moment, face heating up, but then he nodded and bid everyone goodnight and lead Fuji to his room further down the hall.

Tezuka unrolled his futon in the corner by the window, then helped Horio and Ryoma set up theirs. Inui made his sleeping area by the door. It was a little crowded, and if anyone needed to get up in the night they would likely step on someone else, but it was better safe in here than out there with the biters.

Ryoma chewed his lip lightly as he lay down in his bed, wriggling uncomfortably in his clothes. He wondered how Inui was faring with his leather pants. A glance down showed that the data player was laying stiffly on his back, and Ryoma snickered quietly.

‘Good night guys,’ Horio mumbled, already half asleep with his trousers and shoes kicked off by the door and snuggled into his blanket. Ryoma wondered how he could sleep just like that. He turned onto his side and closed his eyes, hoping that if they stayed closed long enough he’d fall asleep, but all he could see was his parents, shouting at him to run. Junko-sensei leading two pale children into an empty school. Reiko being torn to pieces by monsters.

Ryoma shuddered and rolled to the other side, stubbornly keeping his eyes shut. He could hear Tezuka and Inui’s light breathing and Horio’s slight snores, and concentrated on them. He imagined he was back at a training camp, and he’d be playing practice matches with Momo-senpai the next day. A small smile came onto his face, and he finally dozed off.


	5. Chapter 5

Ryoma woke feeling cold, and immediately reached for the blanket. He reluctantly opened his eyes when his hands met nothing but air and saw that his blanket had been kicked all the way down to his feet, where it lay scrunched up. With a groan he sat up and began to contemplate whether or not he should just go back to sleep. Surprisingly, it had been a dreamless night, or at least he didn’t remember any nightmares which may have plagued his mind. The strewn blanket told a different story, and he hoped he hadn’t been too wild in his sleep. Glancing around, Ryoma saw that Tezuka and Inui’s futons were gone, though Horio was still sleeping deeply. The first year was snoring loudly now, and had one arm raised above his head as he rested.

Ryoma snickered at the sight and stood up. He stretched his arms and legs, not wanting to get stiff with what would probably be weeks of no exercise. He really wished he could play tennis. Maybe he could ask Tezuka for his racket back. Taka-san was sure to have a ball somewhere, maybe he could hit it against a wall or something. It was a tempting thought, and Ryoma decided that if he had the time he’d try.

For the time being he walked downstairs to where everyone was gathered once more. Ryoma could immediately see that something was wrong. Instead of sitting around a table, everyone was by the door, and Ryoma could hear low moans and scratching from outside. He stiffened and stepped back around the corner into the staircase by instinct. He waited there for a few minutes, but nothing seemed to have changed. The third years and Kawamura-san were still talking in tense, clipped voices and the moaning was still outside the door. Ryoma shuffled on the spot for one more indecisive moment before jogging over.

‘What’s going on?’ He asked in a hushed voice. Taka-san visibly jumped in surprise before turning to face the first year. He glanced at his father before dragging Ryoma to a quieter place where he could talk more comfortably.

‘There’s some biters outside. Fuji says we should board up the windows and stuff, but dad thinks that the government will take care of… whatever’s going on soon enough and that there’s no point in ruining his shop,’ Taka-san murmured, looking conflicted between agreeing with his close friend or his family. Ryoma hummed in consideration before speaking.

‘Even if – _if_ – the government or whoever does something about them, isn’t it safer to board the place up? I-I’m sure everyone would help out afterwards if the shop needed fixing,’ Ryoma said, wincing when the scratching on the door started up again. Taka-san nodded, also agreeing with Ryoma.

‘Well, I’ll talk to him, but dad’s a stubborn guy. It might take a lot of convincing,’ Taka-san laughed, heading back to the others. They had gravitated away from the door and were standing around in the kitchen. Inui was spouting out different possibilities of the biters getting inside the shop depending on numbers and strength. Fuji seemed interested, but Tezuka looked distracted. Ryoma went over to the captain and tugged on his sleeve.

‘What’s up?’ He asked, head tilted. He wondered if Tezuka was also missing tennis. It hadn’t even been a week, but Ryoma was craving a tennis match with his father. The thought of the man made Ryoma frown, and he forced his attention back on Tezuka.

‘Just wondering how long this will go on,’ Tezuka said truthfully, crossing his arms as he straightened into his captain-mode. ‘We must endure this and not let out guard down.’

Ryoma wondered if Tezuka was trying to be funny as he stifled a chuckle. Fuji also seemed to have heard and was smiling brightly, happy that at least some things never changed. Their captain would always be their captain; always looking after the team.

With the help of Inui, Taka-san convinced his dad to board up the windows at the front of the shop, as they were most vulnerable to attack. Kawamura-san looked mournful as he grabbed some wood, nails and a hammer from the back of the shop, muttering about how no one appreciated the walls that would be hammered through.

‘Che, won’t it be kind of loud?’ Ryoma asked with a raised brow as his senpais planned how to get the windows boarded up.

‘As long as we don’t hammer too hard we should be alright. Care to help, Echizen?’ Fuji smiled guilelessly at Ryoma, who leaned back onto a nearby chair.

‘Don’t wanna,’ he whined, crossing his arms. ‘I’ll go wake up Horio, he’s been asleep for ages.’

-

The day passed in a blur of boredom and fear, with Ryoma only looking forward to the good food that Kawamura-san always served. After a filling lunch and a few hours of lazing around and light napping, Ryoma asked Taka-san if there was anywhere he could play tennis. The power player had been confused at first, but Ryoma quickly explained how he just wanted to hit a ball against a wall for a while. This caused Taka-san to smile, and he enthusiastically agreed, dragging all the third years along to the quiet room in the restaurant reserved for people who wanted an uninterrupted dinner.

‘If we move the tables and chairs out of the way, there will be enough space to hit the ball around!’ Taka-san told them as he began packing away. Everyone helped out and soon they had a clear wall to hit a ball against. They only had two tennis rackets – Inui’s and Ryoma’s – but they were willing to share with the others for the sake of tennis.

-

The month was spent eating out of a dwindling supply of food and slowly hitting the ball less and less as they needed to conserve energy so they could eat less. Everyone became quieter, and boredom was barely staved off by Kawamura-san’s book collection and the small array of board games Taka-san had kept from his childhood. They tried to ignore the increasing moaning outside the door and checked the TV for news coverage every day.

The power went out on the second week, though they had stopped using lights by the end of the first week. Perishables were eaten quickly, and there was soon not enough food left.

-

‘I’ll only go down the street and to the super market. I’ll bring this knife and be back by sundown,’ Kawamura-san said to his son who was vehemently shaking his head, begging his dad not to go outside.

‘Takashi… We don’t have enough food, and that’s the closest place I can think of where there might be food. Trust me son, I’ll definitely come back.’

Taka-san slowly walked over to Inui, disheartened.

‘Inui, can- can my dad borrow your leather jacket?’ He asked, downcast. Inui agreed easily and gave the older man the clothes that were slightly tight for him. Ryoma watched, half excited, half dreading as Kawamura-san walked out of the front door, right hand clenching a kitchen knife tightly in his grasp. It reminded him of his mother on the night she died, and he walked away to hit the ball around for a while.

Taka-san waited by the door all day, watching in anguish as it slowly got darker and darker. Fuji was soon sat beside his friend on the couch, then Horio was sat by their feet. Ryoma, Tezuka and Inui joined them before long, and they were all sitting by the door waiting for someone who might never come back.

‘I should… I should go out and look for him,’ Taka-san croaked as his watch showed 10:00pm. Fuji turned on him with sharp eyes.

‘No. He might come back, and if he- if he doesn’t, then it means it’s too dangerous to go out,’ he said, hand moving to grip Taka-san’s arm tightly. As the night dwindled on, Horio quietly migrated up the stairs to bed, soon followed by Inui. After the fourth yawn of the hour, Ryoma finally gave up and went to bed too. Despite being tired though, he found he couldn’t fall asleep no matter how long he kept his eyes shut. Tezuka had come in ages ago, and surely even Taka-san had gone to bed now.

Ryoma carefully stepped out of the small, shared room and went to go downstairs, hoping to relax himself with some stretches before sleep, but he paused at the top of the stairway when he saw Fuji and Taka at the bottom.

Fuji was holding Taka-san in a gentle hug, and they had burrowed their heads in each other’s necks. Ryoma watched the scene for a minute in silence before going back to the room and crawling into his futon. Before he could do anything, he felt tears well up in his eyes, and he pressed his face into his pillow. He let out shaky breaths in an attempt to stay quiet as he wondered what would happen to them now.

They had no electricity, no adults, nothing to hold off the boredom, and very soon they would have no food.


	6. Chapter 6

In the end, it wasn’t the lack of food that forced them out. It wasn’t even the biters’ fault, though Ryoma supposed they did play a large role in it. It was mainly because the sushi restaurant had become such a depressing space, and it was beginning to get to everyone. No one hit a tennis ball around anymore, not even Ryoma, and Fuji had lost his mischievous smile. Taka-san had basically stopped functioning for the rest of the week after his father didn’t come back, though he was slowly beginning to show signs of improvement.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Inui that suggested they leave. It was Horio, face drawn and unibrow pulled into a frown who had proposed that they all just leave. No one had argued with the idea, and slowly Inui began planning. With Fuji’s help, Ryoma collected as many weapons as he could. Golf clubs, a hammer, a pitchfork and a fire axe were all put into a small pile by the door with what little food they had left.

‘We should be able to leave soon. Kawamura-san had a map in the kitchen, and I have circled nearby places most likely to be safe,’ Inui spoke from his place by the radiator, flipping through his data book. Tezuka nodded stiffly, and Fuji sighed quietly and turned to Taka-san, who was sitting quietly on the couch. The power player had his feet drawn up and was leaning on his knees. Ryoma wondered how he felt about leaving the place he’d grown up in with his father. It reminded him of his own parents and he had to look away. No matter how much he tried to push away the memory, Ryoma always found himself going back to that night, the blood gushing from his father’s stomach – ‘Run! Just leave us kid, we’re not gonna make it!’ – and he swallowed thickly as he toed the carpeted floor.

‘Everyone try to get a good sleep tonight. We are leaving first thing in the morning, and I want everyone to be ready,’ Tezuka instructed before standing and heading towards the kitchen for what Ryoma hoped was water. He was also pretty thirsty. He trailed silently after the captain and watched him reach for a clean glass.

‘Me too,’ he called, letting out a huff as Tezuka turned to him with a surprised expression on his face. Ryoma hadn’t realised the older boy could make such faces. Tezuka quickly smoothed out his expression and turned to grab a second glass. Soon the two of them were sipping on water and sitting at the table which had been dragged into the quiet kitchen. They didn’t speak for a while, basking in the comfortable silence – possibly the last on before they left. Ryoma watched his captain carefully, looking for the tell-tale signs of fatigue that had become ingrained on everyone else. Although Tezuka looked stressed and had some pretty serious bags under his eyes, he didn’t look defeated. His eyes still held their fire, though a little dimmed. It made Ryoma feel better knowing that at least one of them hadn’t given up.

It made him feel a bit less hopeless about the coming days. He knew it would probably be difficult, and that they might face more biters, but as long as they stuck together Ryoma believed that they really might make it. He didn’t realise he had been staring at his captain until the bespectacled boy coughed and placed his empty glass by the sink.

‘You should sleep soon, Echizen,’ Tezuka ordered as he made his way back to the sitting room where Inui was still writing in his book. Ryoma scowled at the order, as if he was a little kid! He followed the captain once more and sat on the adjacent seat, crossing his arms petulantly. Tezuka glanced at him, eyebrows coming together in a slight frown, but didn’t comment. Ryoma smirked and got comfy on the seat. The sun was just beginning to go down, so he wasn’t heading off to bed for some time yet.

Inui kept writing, occasionally pausing to tap his pencil against the side of his head as if in thought. Ryoma couldn’t help but be impressed by his senpai. Throughout the entire bloodthirsty biter debacle he hadn’t panicked even once. At least, not in front of Ryoma. In fact, most of his senpai seemed to be holding it together better than him.

Ryoma felt his face grow warm with shame, and he quickly pulled his legs up to hide his face. Where was his cap when he needed it? By this time, Inui had started a murmured conversation with Tezuka, and, listening in, Ryoma figured out that they were talking about the following day. Where they should go, which routes they should take, what they should bring. It was comforting, knowing that they were taking care of everything. He could feel his eyes begin to droop and instantly sat up straighter. He couldn’t fall asleep here after defying Tezuka’s order like that. It was like feeling cold after going out without a jacket despite your mother telling you to bring one. He winced at the thought began to fiddle with his fingers.

His hands felt so idle without his tennis racquet and ball. His whole body felt slower without the constant workout, and he could only hope that this wouldn’t be a disadvantage in the following days. Ryoma felt his eyes flutter shut once more as he began imagining what the following day would bring. Maybe they would run into the other regulars; Momo and Kaido, Oishi and Kikumaru, people from other schools. Anyone would be welcome now, as long as they were still human…

Ryoma didn’t realise he was dozing off until he felt large hands pulling him to his feet, shocking him awake. He opened his eyes blearily and realised Tezuka had pulled him up. Inui was by the stairs, waiting for them to follow.

‘It’s late Echizen. Now it’s _really_ time for bed,’ Tezuka said, guiding the first year by the shoulders up to the shared room with Horio. Ryoma was so tired, he couldn’t even feel embarrassed or angry that he had fallen asleep in front of his senpai like that. He just burrowed into his futon, letting his eyes fall shut.

-X-x-X-

Ryoma felt his stomach roll nervously as he ate from an almost-empty packet of cereal. Everyone was gathered around a table, eating from some of the last of their food. What remained was packed into several backpacks along with first aid and plenty of water. The atmosphere was tense, no one wanting to break the silence.

Inui was back in his leather trousers and one of Kawamura-san’s old jackets. Taka-san had kindly passed out his and his father’s most protective clothes, holding back tears the whole time. Ryoma was wearing a pair of Taka-san’s trusty old running shoes, and Fuji was wearing one of his shirts. It didn’t seem like much, but it seemed to be a huge decision for Taka-san, as he finally seemed to accept that his father was truly gone. Although he felt bad about it, Ryoma had been avoiding the power player a bit, not wanting to be reminded of his own parents’ demise.

‘Ok, according to my calculations, heading away from the city is our best choice,’ Inui broke the seemingly endless silence. ‘If we stick to the highway, we will be in the country side within 6 hours. We will have to go around this mountain and pass through another town, but I believe there is a good chance we’ll run into other survivors along the way.’

This sparked some interest among the tennis players. If there were other survivors out there, they might be able to help them or give them information. Ryoma was slightly worried about going to the countryside though. He knew it would take them away from people – biters – but he couldn’t get the image of endless rice fields and mountains out of his head. He hoped where they were going was more green forests and friendly towns than rice paddies and hog farming.

They had gotten up early for the journey, wanting to make some headway before the sun rose fully. Then they would stop to rest and continue until nightfall according to Inui. And if they were lucky, they would find shelter.

‘We’ll head out in an hour. Everyone be by the door by then,’ Tezuka announced after Inui, and slowly everyone scattered to make sure they had everything they wanted, or in Horio’s case, just get some extra sleep. Ryoma considered joining his fellow first year in the nap, then shook his head and trailed after Tezuka.

The captain was looking through the meagre pile of weapons they had amassed. He seemed pretty interested in the gold club, and stood with it, swinging experimentally a few times. He seemed satisfied and leaned it back by the door before turning to Ryoma.

‘Is there something you need, Echizen?’ Tezuka asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall beside his chosen weapon. Ryoma shrugged. They were leaving their safe house of over a month. He hadn’t been out of this place except for the fenced back yard for ages. All he could think of was that night long ago when his parents had been killed. Of that day when Junko-sensei led two bitten boys into the empty school. Of Reiko’s scream slowly dying out as she herself slowly bled out.

‘My parents are dead,’ he blurted abruptly, not wanting to keep it to himself all of a sudden. ‘They took me out for dinner, then when we go home they were killed by biters.’

Tezuka looked shocked, mouth slightly agape, eyes wide and body still as if unsure of how to proceed. Ryoma stared at him silently, also shocked at his own admission. Why had he said that? It had nothing to do with what they were about to do. It wasn’t Tezuka’s burden to bear either.

‘Sorry,’ Ryoma murmured quietly after a good minute or two of just staring at each other. That seemed to shake Tezuka out of his trance, and he quickly took a step closer.

‘Echizen… That is truly terrible,’ he said solemnly, placing a hand on Ryoma’s shoulder. Ryoma just stared at the floor, wishing it would swallow him up. He wished he hadn’t told the captain. So stupid. ‘Echizen, look at me.’

Ryoma stubbornly stared at his shoes. If he pretended it didn’t happen, maybe Tezuka would too. No such luck it seemed, as the buchou lightly grabbed his chin and pulled his face up. ‘It’s not your fault Echizen. And it’s ok to be sad about your parents’ deaths. No one should have to go through that.’

Apparently, Tezuka was going to give him a speech. Ryoma angrily pulled away. ‘Whatever, I’m going to go check my bag,’ and with that he quickly made his exit.

As he rifled through the bag he had gone through over five times the night before, he wondered what had just happened. After zipping the backpack up, he buried his face in his hands for a moment, gritting his teeth. This was no time for sharing stories. They were about to head out into infested streets where they may have to fight for their lives.

Pulling himself together, Ryoma stood and wiped at his eyes angrily. He stood and purposefully walked back to the door, determined to ignore what just happened until they were safely settled in whatever place they ended up.


End file.
